I think there is a difference between an already conscious being losing their ability to recall memories vs never having the ability in the first place. Maybe you can technically maintain the state of consciousness without forming new memories once you've already achieved it (for example people with Alzheimer's/other forms of dementia, but that is up for debate how "conscious" they are during it's most advanced stages), but getting to the point of consciousness in the first place doesn't really seem possible without some kind of ability to refer back to previous experiences.